As Rishi Sunak battles to reach a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol, the DUP has insisted EU rules are removed in Northern Ireland to protect their place in the UK.
"And we're not going to do that because we believe that such an arrangement is designed to take us out of the United Kingdom and indeed would take us out of the United Kingdom, because increasingly we would have to agree EU laws which diverge from UK laws and in doing so would separate our own country from the rest of the United Kingdom.
Asked if he thought there would be a deal this week, he said:"No I don't. He realises that there are barriers and hills to climb. He knows the kind of issues that have to be dealt with. I hope he does go into negotiations with a full understanding of what is required."The NI Protocol has effectively created a customs border in the Irish Sea
It is understood Mr Sunak's officials held talks with their Brussels counterparts on Sunday on how to give local politicians a greater say in the application of EU law in the region, addressing what unionists call the"democratic deficit". A source close to Mr Johnson said his view was that"it would be a great mistake to drop the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill" - which would empower the UK to unilaterally scrap parts of the treaty.Boris Johnson is bitterly opposed to Rishi Sunak's plans to abandon the NI Protocol Bill
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